Closure for graves



c. 1. JANSKY.

CLOSURE FOR GRAVES. APPLICATION FI LED DEC.2!. I9?0.-'

1,381,309. Patented June 14, 1921';

mam 07 Charlies iJansk Ill/172% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

CLOSURE ron GRAVES.

Patented June 14, 1921.

Application filed. December 21, 1920. Serial No. 432,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. JANsKY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of "Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in C sures for Graves; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a device for tem porarily closing a grave while the mourners are arriving and keeping it thus closed until the mourners have departed, except for the brief moment while the coffin is being lowered.

It has hitherto been the practice to dig a grave and to leave it open after the coffin has been lowered and while the mourners are standing around the grave. This practice, especially in bad weather, produced an unfortunate and unnecessarily sad impression upon the mourners.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which may alleviate, to a consider able extent, the sorrow upon this occasion.

More specifically stated, the object is to provide a device which may act as a temporary closure to cover and protect the grave while the mourners are arriving and until it is time for the coffin to belowered, and which may then be opened and immediately closed again as soon as the coffin has been lowered.

I will now describe my invention specifically and reference will be had to the ac- .companying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4& of Fig. 3.

Like characters will refer to like parts throughout the several views. The device consists of four hollow corner blocks 5, 6, 7 and 8 connected by the longitudinal channel bars 9 and 10, and by the transverse members 11 and 11. Two shafts 12 and 13 are mounted longitudinally within the channel bars 10 and 9 respectively, the ends of said shafts being journaled in the corner blocks. each of these shafts is oppositely threaded from its ends to the center for a purpose which will later appear. A shaft 14 is journaled at one end of the device in the blocks 5 and 6 and operatively connected with the shafts 12 and 13 by the bevel gears 15 and 16 respectively. A shaft 17 is journaled at the other end of the device in the blocks 7 and 8. This shaft is provided with the reversing gears 18 and 19, which are splined on the shaft and operable by the lever 20, to cause either one of said gears to mesh with the gear 21 on the end of the shaft 13. Two blocks 22 and 23 are threaded on to the oppositely threaded ends of the shaft 13 and two similar blocks 24L and 25 are threaded on to the shaft 12. The blocks 23 and 25 are connected by a rod 26, and the blocks 22 and 2 1 are connected by a rod 27. These two rods are secured to the ends of curtains and 31 respectively, said curtains being rolled upon the respective rollers 28 and 2?) ournaled on lugs projecting from the corner blocks. usual springs 32 and 33 so as to hold the curtains taut, no matter what the position of the rods 26 and 27 may be. The shaft 17 is connected with the spring motor 3a, which may be wound by a key or the like 35. The operation of my device is as follows:

\Vhen the cofiin has been placed above the closure, which is then in the position shown in Fig. 1, the lever 20 is moved so as to place the proper one of the reversing gears in mesh with the gear 21. The oppositely threaded rods 12 and 13 are rotated and the curtains rapidly drawn back. The rotation of the shafts 12 and 13 will cease as soon as the threaded blocks come in contact with the corner blocks. The cofiin is then lowered, the gear reversed and the curtains are quickly closed. It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the precise structure shown and described, but includes all equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

a I claim:

1. A closure for graves comprising a frame through which the coffin may be lowered, a curtain mounted at each end of the frame, means for drawing the curtains together to form a closure and means for retracting the curtains to uncover the grave.

2. A closure for graves comprising a frame through which the coffin may be lowered, a curtain mounted at each end of the frame, a motor and means operatively connecting said motor to said curtains, said means including a reversing gear whereby said curtains may be moved into a position to cover or uncover the grave.

3. A closure for graves comprising a These rollers are held by the v cor-ding to the direction of rotation and a reversing gear for driving said shafts in either direction at will.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin.

CHARLES J. JANSKY. 

